The Bibblite Conspiracy
by mlle.imandeus
Summary: Sam and Cat fic with crossover appearance by Jade and Tori. This was written in response to two tumblr requests. One to do a Sam & Cat Superhero AU. The second, a fic where Jade and Tori interrogate Sam about her intentions toward Cat. This is a Puckentin
1. Chapter 1

**The Bibblite Conspiracy**

Me and Cat have gotten into a routine since we started developing powers after getting covered in whatever was in that toxic waste container with the radiation signs all over it that busted all over us in the back of that garbage truck the day we met. She would try to help people and work hard to 'deserve the name superhero' as she would say. I would do whatever I wanted, and just not call myself a superhero. Nothin' to live up to and I still got powers to play with. I mean I'd help her, we're friends and I'm not a total wazbag. I just wasn't gonna miss a meal, lose any sleep, or do anything that was boring or hard.

Not that missing meals had become a problem; since one of the powers I got was I can eat anything. So Cat and the gang know that if mama misses any meals, shes's gonna take a bite of a random car. Cat always says I should just eat rocks, there's always rocks or concrete around. I tell her I've got more style than that. I might take a bite out of a building if the mood takes me, but I'm not going to sit on the ground eating rocks like a caveman.

So it came as a surprise when Miss 'Deserve-the-name-superhero' started disappearing for hours at a time. Leaving me to take care of both our babysitting jobs and anyone who answered her 'superhero for hire' ad. The last thing I need is to have to be the responsible one. It really burned my chiz.

One day I had to confront her when she bounced in at nine o'clock, hours after the kid's parents had picked him up. She seemed so jolly and carefree I had to bite the end off the bottle of root beer I was drinking to keep from yelling at her. Didn't help long because the first words out of her mouth were, "How many of those have you had tonight?"

"I've had a long day. I've been babysitting, alone. I had to answer two calls on your stupid hero phone, alone." I yelled, getting up.

"If it's so stupid, don't do it." She screeched back at me.

"That's not the point, and you know it. The point is I was alone. Then you come in, nine o'clock at night, sweet as you please."

She interrupted again, "You think I'm sweet?" She asked in that flirtatious way she has. Where she turns her head, looks out the corner of her eye, and her voice gets kinda soft and husky. She was the flirtiest girl I'd ever seen, and she didn't seem to even know it.

And it worked, course it worked, but I was trying to get my mad on here. "Not the point Cat! You come in here after being gone all day. And you reek of candy."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She shouted.

"You always smell sweet. But normally it's a light airy sweetness with a bit of flower, like candied violets. Or more like candied jasmine with a hint of vanilla but that's beside the point."

"You've spent a lot of time thinking about the way I smell." Cat said, flirty again, stepping toward me.

I stepped back. I needed to talk to her, not get lost in her. I didn't even need to think about that right now, but couldn't think about anything else. "You smell like you've been dunked in candy, like an apple. You don't have a touch of candied flowers, you have a cloud of candied candy with candy on it. What the fizz have you been doing?"

"I've been doing what I want to for once! And you don't need to know, you don't even need to think about it." Cat yelled. Then she paused a split second to calm herself and started humming.

I had barely a moment to know what she was going to do, before she did it. She was going to use her powers on me. The radiation just intensified who we were. I'm strong and physical and I eat a lot. So I was given super strength, near invulnerability, and I can eat anything now. Cat is an adorable performer with a magical voice. So she got the ability to have everyone like her and trust her (and I believe find her non-threatening, but that might just be her). She can hypnotize you when she sings: make you see things, go to sleep, obey her commands to the point of foiling robberies by making criminals forget where they are, that they have guns and what guns are for. I think she could make someone forget who they are even, but she always said that'd be mean and won't try. Plus she has a sonic scream that hits like a speeding car.

I had just enough time for a bubble of rage and a thought, "We promised we wouldn't..." before her song properly started and I lost my place.

I woke up foggy headed in our room, which now smelled like Strawberry Shortcake's vagina. Cat was no where to be seen.

She Catted me! How could she? I was almost mad enough to eat Mr. Purple in revenge. But I knew there was no going back from something like that. I called Dice. His mom said he was at school. So I called Goomer and found out he actually was at school this time.

Goomer offered to come over, but I knew he would only bother me. I was too stressed for advice like. "When my cat used to wander off all the time back in Louisiana, we put a bell around her neck, so we could always hear where she was. Do you think Cat would wear a bell?"

Besides I had the Dice signal. Call up pretending to be his mom, and have him sent home because his Aunt Fergine fell in a wheat thresher.

Dice showed up twenty minutes later, sweaty and panting. "Sam! She's not my favorite person in the world. What with the night gas, and the stealing my lunch and the taking my underwear to make work aprons for her helper monkey. But you can't tell people she's been de-limbed just because you need to talk to me."

"Yeah, yeah,." I said, "Cat used her powers on me last night."

"Did she do anything to you while you were hypnotized?" He asked, suddenly all interest.

"Probably, from how our room smelled this morning. But I don't care about that. We promised we would never use our powers against each other. She's been acting crazy for over a week, and we need to find out why." I told him.

"Okay, I'm going to go smell your room and see if that gives me any ideas." He said, starting toward the back of the house.

I grabbed him. "There's no time for that pervo. But if you help me, I'll let you go through Cat's hamper and you can choose one pair of her panties to keep."

He didn't even have to think about it. "Deal." He said, sitting down. "Now what exactly do we know so far?"

"She's disappeared every day. She doesn't care about babysitting or superheroing. When she's here she acts super excited and full of energy. Even more than normal. But she goes crazy if you ask her where she's been. Strangest of all, she's been smelling like candy. Like, a lot. It started out just a little strange, like she was a giant gummy bear. But last night she smelled like a cloud of hot sugar. I know that sounds good, but it wasn't."

He thought for a moment and said, "Bibble smells like candy. And we know she has a Bibble problem."

"Don't you think I thought of that?!" I yelled. "But Bibble also smells like popcorn. She didn't smell anything like Bibble. She just smelled like sugar..." I paused, remembering. "And just a little bit like dirty socks, but not exactly." But I felt like she did smell like something, exactly, something that was just out of reach.

I almost had it, but then I lost it when my phone burped. It was my new text noise.

Jatlitch: What have you done?

"Whose Jatlitch?" Dice asked, leaning over me to peek.

"First looking at someone else's text is a real chiz move. Second, Jatlitch is Jade the slitch. She's this obnoxious friend of Cat's. I'm gonna tell her to waz off." I said.

"Wait, no, she might know what's up with Cat. You're gonna need to be nice." He said.

"I don't do nice. But I see your point." I replied and texted back, 'Don't know what you mean. But if it's about Cat, come over straight after school, cause I'm not happy myself.'

She replied, 'No one cares. Be there before 4.' I assumed she meant no one cared if I was happy. But that statement didn't warrant a answer and I could give her a smack when I saw her.

We sat for a few minutes in silence, brainstorming for ideas. Finally Dice said, "Gwen's out of jail."

"Huh, what?" I said.

"Word on the street," He said. "Gwen is out of jail. She got her deportation hearing overturned. And she's brought Ruby into line. I think she got to Ruby first and with the state's witness silenced and her uncle's money she quickly became untouchable. I hear she's been walking around town for around two weeks now."

"Well the timing is right." I said. "I can't believe I didn't know she was back."I got up and started pacing, "I guess I have a visit to make."

"And I'll go get Goomer." Dice said. "I know you don't need him, but she might have goons and you've been telling him for weeks that he could help you as soon as you found something for him to do."

"Sounds good. We'll meet back here later."

I took my bike over to Gwen and Ruby's uncle's house. I can't fly, but the twelve foot fence was no more a challenge to me than jumping onto a second story balcony to get in.

I landed in a little blue and white sitting room where Ruby was watching Celebrity Neck-Punch. Before I could grab her she jumped up and ran out of the room screaming, "Gwen, Gwen, Sam's here! Gwweeenn!"

I was distracted for a moment by the tv, because I landed just in time to see Shelby Marx punch Peezy B square in the neck. It was awesome, but I couldn't be distracted right now.

There was no reason to try to be sneaky. I'd already lost the element of surprise so I ran down the stairs toward where I could still hear Ruby screaming. "Gwen, Ruby, I'm coming to get you." I yelled.

As I ran toward the back of the house, I heard hydraulic motors whirring and the loud thud, thud, thud of some machine. Right when I had almost reached the arched passageway, Gwen came around the corner, over six feet tall in a heavily armored mechasuit.

"I've been expecting you, Sam. Welcome to our home." Gwen smiled wickedly.

"Just where did you get a mechasuit?" I asked, shocked.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry Sam. I didn't know you were a moron. Everyone has a mechasuit these days. We need them to even up the odds if one of you super types go rogue, like now."

"I'm not rogue," I said, grabbing her elbow.

"Your elbow squeeze trick won't work on this." Gwen laughed. "It doesn't feel pain."

I guess she thought I really was a moron. I kept squeezing as the metal buckled under the pressure. "Maybe not pain, but the reason behind it is the same for both humans and robots. The joints are always the weakest part." My thumb popped through the plating and began to sink into the joint. The anodized steel did squeeze my thumb uncomfortably, but not enough I needed to stop. I pulled her in and bit a little piece off in the corner of the view screen. I chewed and swallowed the thick polymer glass and steel and whispered into the hole, "I'm coming for you Gwen."

Her eyes got really big, or as big as they get, she's kind of a squiggy eyed girl. "No, I'm sorry." She screamed. "I'm sorry, I'll help you, I'm sorry."

I took a bigger bite. "I'm coming Gwen."

"Please, Sam, please." I thought she meant 'I'm sorry for all I've done.' and 'Please don't hurt me." Later I would find out she was just screaming politeness words in hopes that these, combined with her age, would get her out of this. Like it always had before.

I leaned in close, my mouth inside the hole I'd chewed in her viewscreen, and said, "What have you done to Cat?"

"Nothing," Gwen said, "Was something done to Cat?"

I didn't know what to believe. Her smarmy, snarky little voice always sounded sincere. The little sociopath bichon had no tells.

Well, when in doubt, bluff. I stuck my fingers into the hole I'd chewn and began to try to pull the entire viewscreen off. "You little liar. When I get you out of there I'm gonna make your face look like a plumfiggle."

Ruby ran out of her hiding place and latched onto my leg. "Not a plumfiggle! Please Sam, no, she's telling the truth. We haven't done anything to Cat."

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't trust them. But it was just getting later, and I couldn't stand here arguing with them either.

Finally it hit me. I grabbed Ruby off my leg, tucked her under my arm like a football and took off.

Running back up the stairs, out over the balcony and up over the fence to my bike. This way I had insurance against Gwen getting any bright ideas. And I had the one more likely to eventually come clean if they'd lied to me. Not to mention, if our time with Hector taught me anything, it's that things usually work out for us when we solve our problems by kidnapping someone small.

I assumed, quite rightly it would turn out, that Gwen would let me take Ruby rather than show her neighbors she had a mechasuit by chasing us. But it was still getting close to my appointment with Jatlitch. I used some duct tape to bind Ruby's arms straight down to her sides. I clipped the spare helmet on her head. Then I tied her back to back with me with bungee cords and took off for home.

I got Ruby tied up and gagged in HQ just in time for Jatlich to show up. I felt a little bad about it, but I figured some fear might soften her up.

It turned out Jatlitch brought Tori, another friend of Cat's who may not be a slitch. Though coming with Jade was not a good start.

"Jatlitch so good of you to come. And I see you brought Tori."

"What the fizz does that mean?" Jade asked.

"Jade the slitch, it's your name, right?" I asked.

"that much I know, you've said that before. But what the fizz does slitch mean?" Jade asked again.

"The first part is from a word ending in -ut and the second part is from a word that starts with b. It's not algebra." I said.

Jade looked snide and angry and said, "Some of us would understand it even if it was algebra."

I wanted to start something, but these were Cat's friends. "Then you'll have no problem figuring it out." I finally said, dropping it.

Jade started to say something but Tori put her hand on her arm and just said, "It's about Cat, Jade, c'mon." and she closed her mouth.

Only to open it again a moment later. "What the chiz have you done with Cat?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I said.

"What do you mean? She was fine until you came along." Jade said.

"What do YOU mean? She was fine two weeks ago." I yelled back at her.

Tori agreed with me, saying , "She's right Jade. Sam and Cat have been roommates since June. Cat's been like this for less than two weeks."

"Exactly." I said.

But Tori immediately turned on me. "But that doesn't mean your good for her, or that we can trust you. Cat has been fine, on the scale of Cat. But Jade's right too. Cat has been different since she knew you."

"Of course she has," I said, "She started developing superpowers the day we met."

"Yeah that's the funny thing," Jade said in a voice that meant it was definitely not the funny thing. "On the subject of her superpowers Cat's like, 'yay I have superpowers.' 'wanna see my superpowers' 'is there anything I can do to help you with my superpowers?' But on the subject of her new roommate and business partner, she's suddenly, 'what's that supposed to mean?!' and 'I don't see how that's any of your concern.' Jade did all the Cat quotes in a surprisingly accurate Cat impression. "She won't question you, nor hear a word against you. So I did my own investigating."

"Yes I know, you sneaky little bichon. You're the one that told Cat I have a record. You told Cat you didn't trust me. You told Cat not to let me move in. You told Cat not to go into business with me. You showed Cat the Seattle Juvie website where my old probation officer is mislabeled my current Parole officer. And I know you knew it. Because if I was really on parole they would have switched my case locally when I moved here and I would still be seeing them."

"You did all that, Jade?" Tori asked.

"Why do you think I call her a slitch?" I asked.

"That is a pretty speccy thing to do." Tori said.

"You don't get it." Jade said. "You don't know. Tori you've been friends with Cat, just a few years. And you, Butchy McBoygirl, you've been her friend a few months. I've known Cat a lot longer than that. I've been with her. Holding her hand. Protecting her. Longer than you want to even think about."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "You talk a lot." I said. "And most of it is bullsketch. You were a decent friend to Cat . I'll give you that. Grudgingly. But just in the time Tori's known Cat; you've, if not exactly failed her, you've certainly been no better of a friend than anyone else. And while you've been with Beck, both times, the only time you made time to do anything with Cat was when you were specifically doing it to blow Beck off and toy with him. And since we've been roommates how often have you come over? Cat invites you dozens of times, but it's always, 'oh I'll catch you next time.' I won't believe it's because we hate each other. I get the feel that we both hate everyone so much that the hate we feel for each other is almost affectionate. We're both Cat's friends. But you cannot compare being there on the phone sometimes if Cat has a nightmare even if it was for years, with me being there every single time since I met her; and not on the phone. In the room, in the bed if that's what she wants. If her parents call and she's sad cause she misses them, she cries to me. If she's having nightmares about her brother locking her in the closet or any of the other list of horrors he did to her. that's me again. If she's scared of the dark or the wind or the storm or tiny food or door to door salesmen or the clouds being too 'shapey' I'm there. Me."

For a minute there I thought we might have a moment. And maybe we'd all be friends. But to my relief Jade fixed that problem. "Whoa, you talk a lot too. And you're awful proud of yourself, it sounds like. But guess what, I don't care. This isn't the "How Much Can Sam Talk Chiz?" Show."

"Suck a truck." I said.

"There with be no truck sucking," Tori yelled. "Yes , Jade and I want to know what your intentions are toward Cat. But that's just fluff next to the real question all three of us are asking. What the heck is up with Cat these last ten days."

"My 'intentions' toward Cat are none of your business." I said the word in my best fancy old lady voice. "But I have proven I want to be the very best friend I can to her. And part of that is finding out what's going on with her right now. Isn't there some black magic or foul spirit of hell you can summon to give us a claw in the right direction." I asked Jade.

"What do you mean ?" Jade asked.

"You don't need to play coy. Cat told me you were some big witch around town." I said.

"The correct term is Wiccan. And no I am not." Jade said, sounding a little flustered.

"What ya hiding Jade?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jade replied, seeming even more disturbed.

"My cousin in Arizona is Wiccan. And while they have been trying to reclaim and destigmatize the word witch. A witch and a Wiccan are not the same thing. One is a religion and the other is a specific type of natural magic user. The bruja my cousin goes to is as Catholic as they come." I said, a little confrontationally. Cat's stuff was too important to be playing games.

"There's no such thing as real magic." Jade said, as if that settled it.

"Yeah, I know a doll named Clarice who would beg to differ on that." I said. I knew Cat had told them, she'd told everyone. So I wouldn't have to explain myself.

I wasn't the only one who noticed Jade's anxiety. "You always get like this when this rumor comes up." Tori said, "I always thought it was because you were sick of hearing it. Now I'm not so sure. After the chiz you just gave Sam, you're gonna look like a real wazbag if there's something you can do and you don't."

"Fine," Jade yelled. "But no one is to speak of this. No one is to come to me with their problems or ask me any further favors. I need something of Cat's." She stormed into our room and before I could stop her she was back with Mr. Purple. "This'll do. nothing has more of Cat's energy." She flopped into a chair holding the stuffed giraffe to her chest and arcing her body over it, like she was trying to surround it.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shut up!" She said with more power than it warranted. "I'm working!"

A moment later she sat up, but she was still absently petting the giraffe like she was trying to coax the last little secrets from it's fur. "I see a doofwad in a cape. I think his name is Poober."

"Naw, the doofwad's name is Dilben. Poober was this teddy bear a girl we babysat was obsessed with. Well I say girl but she was grinchy enough to be called a Jade I think."

Jade let this one past, she had other things on her mind. "Teddy bear... cuddle demon! That's what I've been smelling since I got in here. "

As soon as she said the word 'smell' it hit me. That was the dirty socks smell that as mixed with Cat's sugar stink last night. Little Ellie's unwashed toy.

"Cuddle demon?" Tori asked. "That does not sound good."

"Obviously. No demon is good. But yes cuddle demons are a particularly dark class. They have taken the form of toys for the purposes of enslaving and corrupting children. I thought they'd all been destroyed." Jade said.

"Well if Dilben knows something about this. Dilben lives in this complex." I said, ready to tear the prissy little liar apart.

The two of them followed me when I went to Dilben's apartment and rang the bell. My gut wanted to just knock the door in. His dad worked long hours and he had no friends. I knew he'd be alone. But I had Cat's voice in my head now, telling me to try to be nice.

"Ahoy!" He said, "It's Sam. Why do you darken my doorstep?"

I grabbed his forelock, lying on his forehead like a waxed poop and pulled it straight up. "I hear you've been messing with my friend."

"Emergency! Emergency!" He screamed. "Assistance! Constable! I require a constable! Someone fetch a gendarme"

I had no idea what he was saying, but Tori immediately stepped forward. "Do you really think it's smart to involve the police? We've done nothing illegal. Can you say the same?"

He was immediately silent.

"Let me in." I said, tossing him back into the apartment by his hair and following in. "Thank you."

"I demand to know what your doing." Dilben said.

"You may not know it, because you're pathetic and have no friends. But I am pretty big around here. Super powers, can and will crush you into a meat fruit if you cross me." I told him, moving forward to grab him again.

"I am entirely aware of your crushing and meat fruiting abilities. I'll tell you what you want to know. But I will tolerate no fisticuffs." I kept coming at him and he shouted, "I command you to listen to me!"

I stopped. "Fine." I said, waiting.

"What do you know about Pappy Van Bibble?" He started.

"It's the Bibble brand in the silver can. It's Cat's favorite. She says Old Mother Cupboard Bibble doesn't have the same bang." I said.

"No, no, no! Not the Bibble brand. The man."

"You mean he's not just an advertising mascot?" Jade interrupted.

"That is precisely what I mean, rude stranger girl." Dilben said. "Papi van Bibble was a European scientest and inventor working in England in the 1800's. Now popcorn had just been invented in America, and van Bibble was trying to find a non-toxic edible coating that popcorn could be coated with so it would not go stale whilst on ships to England."

"Whilst?" I asked.

"Whilst!" Dilben insisted. "He found a natural wax on the seeds of the bummbladder fruit, a relative of the plumfiggle."

"Bummbladder? Sounds like something that makes you pee out your butt." I interrupted, laughing.

Tori laughed, and I could tell Jade was trying not to smile but she still said, "Shut up! I know he's boring and obnoxious. But teasing him doesn't get the story told faster."

I could see her point.

"Quite right, rude stranger girl. So van Bibble found a natural edible wax, but unfortunately it was more bitter than earwax." Dilben continued.

I was going to say, 'so you eat a lot of earwax, do you?' but I remembered it was for Cat and I kept my mouth shut.

"Van Bibble mixed the wax with sugar and to his suprise, when the two were mixed and heated, it not only was incredibly delicious. Also the sugar chemically bonded with the wax to make a new substance he called bibbite. At this point, of course, van Bibble thinks his troubles are over. He's completed his quest and his new coating causes popcorn to taste better than anyone could have imagined. However, little did he know there was a problem."

"Was it that he was a little snozzbag who talks on and on endlessly without getting to the point?" I asked.

"Surely with what I hear about your little feline friend, you can guess better than that." Dilben said.

"It was addictive?" Tori asked.

"It was addictive, extremely addictive. Very good, other girl." Dilben said, "He was able to lessen the bummbladder wax to levels that just brought customers coming back. And was only truly addictive in certain sensitive types. But pure bibbite. like Ellie and Poober are giving Cat. That is more addictive than anything. More addictive than you can imagine."

"Why are they doing it?" Tori asked.

"I can't know everything. I know Ellie is making Cat use her powers to get Ellie friends. But that can't be all of it; beside the fact Poober doesn't want Ellie to have friends. Because the less she depends on Poober, the less Poober controls her." Dilben said.

"I know." Jade said.

"Do you want to share?" Me and Tori asked at the same time.

"No reason to do it here. Dilbert here obviously values knowledge. But we have nothing more to get from him. I think we're done here." Jade said.

"My name is Dil=ben." Dilben said prissily.

"Nobody cares!" All three of us said at once. Looked at each other in surprise and shared a threeway high five.

"I could tell you where Ellie lives." Dilben said. "You obviously don't know that if you came here rather than going straight over."

"True," I answered. "But I think I've got a better person to lead us there."


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N This is just over half the size of part one. I decided to break here because this wraps up the interrogation bit and after this the attack on Ellie and Poober is gonna be more action-adventure-y so it'll have a totally different vibe from this section.)

By this time Ruby had only been locked up in HQ, (the name Cat insisted we call our secret superhero lair behind the safe in our closet) for about an hour give or take. But henchgirl to an evil genius or not, she was only seven and I was certain an hour tied up and alone would be plenty. I went in with Jade and Tori behind me. Ruby was just where I left her. Trussed up like a sausage and then tied to a chair.

I pulled the gag down around her neck and said, "Okay do you want to answer some questions or do you need more time to think? This time with the lights off."

She was crying a little, and my heart might have gone out to her, if she wasn't a dirty little grifter who even now stood between me and saving Cat. "I'm not afraid of the dark." She said.

"It's not the dark you should be afraid of." I said. "It's the rats that live in here. They come out when it's dark. Those you need to worry about."

"Rats?" Ruby, asked a little scared.

"And rats are smart animals." I continued. "Won't take them long to figure out you can't fight them off or get away. Then it's Thanksgiving Day in Rattown and you're the plump young turkey."

Tori jumped in then. "But, we know you aren't the one we want this time. So if you answer our questions, we can let you go."

I got a little annoyed. I only played with one partner. This was my dance and I didn't like Tori cutting in. "But what if it turns out her and her wormy sister, or cousin or whatever, are involved?"

Jade decided to get in on the act too. She leaned over Ruby and pinching her eyebrow, pulled out a tweeze of hair. "Ow! What'd you do that for?!" Ruby screamed.

Jade sniffed the hair, ran it up and down both cheeks then rubbed it on her gums. Finally she tucked it into the pouch of her lip at the corner, like chewing tobacco. "In an hour or two I'll know everything she knows. So it won't be hard to convince Gwen she traded secrets for her freedom. I'm sure that would be met with some heavy punishment."

"Did you just eat her hair?" I asked, kinda grossed out.

"No. I am holding it in my cheek til I've absorbed what I can, then I'll spit it out. Unlike you, I do not like to eat everything I can get in my mouth."

"That's not what Beck says." I interrupted, laughing.

"And that's why," She talked over me loudly, "And that's why I don't want people to know I can do this. I could have done the same thing with Dustbin, but it takes longer and I didn't want to even touch him, let alone,"

"Put him in your mouth?" I interrupted again. "That's gross Jade. He's a child."

I could tell she couldn't think of a comeback. Because she just sniffed, rolling her eyes, and acted like she was above it all instead of saying anything.

"Alright Ruby" I started, "It's awful strange. Bibble, and I assume bibblite, only comes from England, I can't believe you and Gwen have nothing to do with this."

"Of course not. It was Gwen's plan to start with. Now as you know, Dilben's dad sells wide shoes to wide footed women. But what you may not know is the Dilbyshire Bootworks is one of the largest suppliers of wide width women's walking and waiting shoes. Now Dilbyshire is right in the middle of the bummbladder basket. The district of Dilbyshire, Smellingshire, Bladdershire, and Wilkens,"

"Not Wilkenshire?" I asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." Ruby said, before continuing. "The bummbladder district grows more than 86% of England's national bummbladder crop."

"More than 86%? "I asked. "Like 87%,"

"Oh nowhere near as much as that. As I was saying. Gwen found this collation of locations quite fortuitous." Ruby tried to continue, but I was on my last nerve.

"In English!" I barked.

"That was English." She said. "Gwen got the idea with the two so close together she would get the pure bibblite produced in the area smuggled here in a shipment of wide shoes for the local wide footed women. All was going to plan, but unfortunately Dilben threw a wobbly,"

"A what?" I asked.

"A temper tantrum. You know I am trying to tell an important story. That you asked for. Perhaps you should let me tell it. Now, Dilben lost his rag," Ruby held up a finger before I could say anything. "Because Gwen said I was her second in command and he felt that because of his contribution to this endeavor, he deserved the role. Now Gwen might not value me when compared to her own welfare. But she does have some loyalty. Perhaps she wouldn't have if she knew he was going to take the bibblite and leave in a strop. Which is a bad mood, not a vehicle called a strop." She explained with a snarky smile. "So he took Gwen's idea and the smuggled bibblite to Ellie. When we tried to retaliate we discovered the hard way that Poober's connection to Ellie means she shares some of his dark powers."

"Let her go." Jade said, spitting out Ruby's eyebrow hairs.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Hearing her explain helped it work faster. I know everything she knows. We might as well release her. Especially since this way I not only know things she may have lied about given the chance. But she also can't be sure of what we do and don't know. Because people always underestimate magic." Jade said.

I would have rather have heard it from Ruby, but Jade's comment about her lying given the chance reminded me, I had to trust somebody. And Jade was Cat's friend and wanted to save her. Ruby was and always would be, the enemy. "Tori, you go out first. As the only one I trust not to close the safe."

While Tori climbed out I snipped Ruby's bonds between my fingernails. I was afraid to snap them by pulling because she was so little and I was still learning my strength and I didn't want to garrote her.

When we got to the living room I froze for a second. Cat was sitting there on the couch, crying. The three of us all went to comfort her, but I got there first and took her in my arms. She latched onto me tight and started crying harder.

I looked at Ruby. "Get out of here."

"How am I supposed to get home." She whined.

"I don't give a chiz. You've shown up here before. Do the same thing, but backwards."

"But Gwen was with me then." She said.

I raised my hand as if to smack her, although she was twelve feet away. She squeaked and ran out the door.

I turned my full attention back to Cat. Holding her and stroking her hair and her back. "Get it all out, kid." I said softly to her. "I'm here."

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. Don't leave me," she sobbed.

"C'mon, no ones leaving anyone. I'm here, Cat. I'm right here." I said. The tighter I held her the tighter she gripped me back. She cried against me for a few minutes before she even took notice of Jade and Tori. They'd both been patting her, but I think somehow in her state, she thought all those hands were me.

"Jade, Tori, what are you two doing here?" Cat asked.

"We were worried about you." Tori said.

"So you came to Sam for help." Cat finished, as if this was the most natural obvious thing she could think of.

"Not so much." I said. "So Jade came to confront me about what I did to you. Because of course she thought I'd done something."

Cat actually laughed at the thought. In a moment her sadness had evaporated and she was properly laughing. "Oh Jade, you're such a silly slitch."

"It was a simple mistake." Jade said. "She's only been here six months and what do we know of her before. She was on some stupid webshow, and she was a criminal."

Cat took my arm gently from around her. I moved the other one quickly as she stood up, holding my hand until the last moment. "I know everything about Sam I need to know." Cat laughed a sweet sad laugh, like she was thinking about the way she wished the world was, and said, "You guys never believe me. I'm not stupid, I'm silly. And I'm silly because I choose to be. You know what my brother did to me, and how my parents made excuses about his 'special brain problems'. You know Robbie used to make me play pirates. Even if you don't know the details, and they are bad, you know it scared and upset me. I'm small and I'm weak and I've been a plaything for people bigger and stronger than me all my life. My only choice, if I wanted to live with any chance to be happy at all, was to go away inside my head. To try to find a way to make everything in my life fun. And to choose to be happy no matter what. Now Sam is here, and she makes me happy. And she protects me. And you guys don't get a vote. I love you both, and this is not your choice to make. It's mine."

Cat began to hum, getting ready to sing:

I know you love me, and I think that's sweet.  
You know you'll always be my friends.  
But sometimes I have nightmares everyday for a week,  
and somewhere your patience ends.

You know my past, you know my troubles.  
You know I cry inside my bubble  
And you've never tried to come inside  
Never tried, never tried

I know you've got your things too, more important things to do  
And that's fine, that's just fine  
Cause I've got someone who is mine.  
Every day and every night, she's right there and she just might, be everything I need.

I know you think, I know you worry, I know you wonder whats my hurry  
and that she's just come into my life  
But when you know, you just know  
and I know. I know.

I am hers with all my heart, what you wonder can't even start,  
to make me question what I feel.  
I am hers, I hope she's mine. I want to hold her throughout time, that's all you need to know.  
I am hers with all my soul, and for the first time I feel whole, that's what I want you to see.

I am hers, I hope she's mine,  
I want to hold her throughout time.  
Do you see? Do you see?  
She is everything to me.

She's my choice, she's my world.  
She's my heart, she's my girl.  
Do you see? Do you see?  
She is everything to me.

I don't think she was using her powers intentionally, but we still could feel her feelings when she sang. When she finished and looked at me, so sweet and vulnerable; when I knew she was wondering what I felt and if her using her powers on me had broken something between us. I was off the couch and holding her before she could blink.

"I love you," she whisper breathed against my ear. It wasn't the first time she'd said it. But there was no chance she meant as a best friend this time. Just like I had kissed her before, or touched her tongue with mine when we were being silly. But this time when I kissed her there was no questioning what it meant.

When we came up for air, I saw just a touch of jealousy on Jade's face before she pushed it down. "Now if you two can calm the girl on girl action, we have a villain to foil."

"I don't know, Cat," I said, kissing her adorable little nose. "Can you calm the girl on girl action?"

"I can, but I'm not gonna." Cat replied, kissing me again.

I let her finish of course, but then I said, "C'mon kid, we've gotta be serious."

"You be serious," She said, rubbing against me just a bit. "I'm gonna be teenaged and hormonal."

I know for a fact, just with the kind of people we are, that I would be more comfortable going at it with Jade and Tori looking on than Cat would. She might be caught up in the bliss of us finally and without mixed messages saying how we felt. Not to mention if the softer but continued clinging candy smell meant anything she was probably bamboozled from bibblite. But if I let this get any farther Cat would be mortified when she was back to her old self.

Unfortunately for our little joy bubble, I knew just what to distract her with. "We know what Ellie and Poober have been doing to you. Now we all have to plan how to stop it."

She started crying again. "They gave me Bibbloids,"

"Bibblite," I corrected.

"Pretty sure it's Bibbloids. Cause it's like Bibble on steroids. First it wasn't too bad. She just wanted me to use my powers to make people like her. So it was just singing songs for her classmates and neighbors. And the Bibbloids taste so good.  
But then Poober came to me this morning without Ellie. He put her to sleep or something. He said I wouldn't get any more Bibbloids until I brought you and Jade to him. That's when it really hit me, what I'd done. And why. And who I'd done it to." She was crying hard again now, and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." over and over again.

I held her tight, with the other two patting her awkwardly until she got it out for now. I would have shrugged them off, but I really think Cat appreciated their efforts.

When she was up to talking again, I asked, "What did he want us for?"

"You, because you're the only virgin I know. He wants to sacrifice you in a spell where Jade puts him into Ellie's body. Her soul will go into the teddy bear, but a human soul will just fade away in a day or two if it's put in an object." Cat said.

"What about you? I asked. "Not saying I'd wish that, just wondering. He wouldn't need you anymore once he was in Ellie's body, and had all his demon powers. And if he only had Jade there it'd be less to do and easier."

Cat looked a little uncomfortable and said, "First I don't qualify. Consent isn't considered for virginity in magical categories. Second, Jade would help sacrifice you, if I in my Bibbloid madness talked her into it. But I'm her best friend. Just like she was mine until we met."

"I'm going to kill that dirty little buttrag." I said.

"You can't kill a demon. All we can do is send him back to Chaos, at best with a spell lock that would keep him from manifesting on this plane for a generation or two." Jade said. "For now, we need to eat."

"That's my line," I said, confused.

"If Cat's coming with us I've got to make an infusion," She looked around at three blank faces, "A potion. Something that will block her addiction temporarily. And it's going to need to be strong enough that she has to drink it on a full stomach or she'll get sick."

"Well I was going to make sloppy waffles. But for my Sammybear, I've got some of those hamburger patties I made that are shaped like hot dogs." Cat said.

"The hot durgers, I know." I said.

"Well just for you I was going to cook those up and make you a couple sloppy waffdurgers. Like chilli dogs made with sloppy waffles and hot durgers." Cat finished.

"That sounds fantstic. But no more Sammybear, unless we're alone." I corrected her.

"Whatever you say, Mad Sammy-jammy."

I should know never to correct anything Cat does, the replacement is always worse.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Here's the final chapter. I might do more with Super Sam and Cat in the future (Or I'm possibly thinkin something more with Jade the witch) but this adventure is closed.

"Alright," I said, after we ate a delicious meal and Cat managed to swallow Jade's anti-bibblite potion. "We have things to do. Like rain punishment on that demon loving little bichon and her pet evil." I reminded everyone.

"Might have started out that way." Jane said. "At least in her mind. Maybe that's still what she thinks. But believe me if anything she's the pet in that pair. A pet that is about to be turned into a lovely human coat."

"What?" Tori said.

"You don't make coats out of people." Cat added.

"You do if you're a demon." I said.

"There's no such things as demons." Tori disagreed.

"And there's no such thing as superheros." I said. Then looked at Jade and said, "And there's no such thing as evil witches who trade their sweet maidenhead to Lucifer in exchange for powers most foul."

Cat looked confused and said, "I didn't get any of that."

"She's saying I traded the Devil my virginity in exchange for witch powers." Jade snarked.

"Ooh, you shouldn't do that with the devil. I thought you were in love with Beck," Cat said to Jade, worried.

"I am in love with Beck! I didn't do that! Witchcraft has nothing to do with the Devil. It's half science, half art, with a bit of spirit work thrown in." Jade explained.

"Spirit work?" Cat asked. "Like cheerleading?"

"No! Spirit work like workwithspirits!" Jade shouted, her words running together in her temper.

"Chill, girl. I was just pickin'. You're the one who knows what this thing is. Tell us what to expect." I said, trying to give her some credit and get her to focus on the real issue.

I could tell she wanted to tell me to get cheezed, but I have to respect she took a moment to realize this was a real problem that she needed to take at least a bit seriously. "Alright, lower level cuddle demons usually exist to punish parents. They are demons that take the form of toys, but they always keep one demonic feature as a warning. The thing is, warnings can be hidden. A teddy bear with it's eyes closed is just a sweet sleepy toy. Or the clown in a jack in the box doesn't look strange covering his clawed hands in fat white gloves. They get into the nursery and into the child's heart. Then behind the child's back they make themselves known to the parent. Do as you're told or your kid dies mysteriously in their sleep.

In the end they are little more than attack dogs of darkness. Vicious and deadly but also controllable and no smarter than the average hound. Upper level cuddle demons, often called cuddle devils, are fully aware individuals. They don't want to threaten a kid they want to insinuate themselves into a child's life, become the most important thing to them. Sometimes to corrupt them, sometimes to possess them. But there are no takebacks once you invite one into your life. You're at it's mercy."

"What's that mean for Ellie?" Cat asked.

"She'll be Poober's partner or his food, until she dies or he's banished. The third choice, learning to fight, doesn't seem her speed." Jade answered.

"There's no question whose side Ellie is on." I said. "We have to make peace with the fact we have to take her out, to avoid something worse happening to her."

"We are not beating up an eleven year old girl." Cat said, scandalized. "Don't roll your eyes at me Sam Puckell,"

"It's Puckett," I said for the millionth time.

"I don't care if it's Pickle. We are not beating up a little girl and that is final!" Cat said.

"What if we didn't. What if we bring Dice? We keep Poober busy and Dice gives Ellie the hard goodnight. He's almost her age." I suggested, thinking aloud.

"I've known Dice since when Nona used to babysit him when he was tiny. I guarentee he's not fighting a girl, period. Especially not fighting a girl younger and smaller than him." Cat said.

"Too bad we weren't babysitting Daisy or Chloe today. I've been working with them when they're here and either one of them could settle that little scab's hash but good." I said. Both of them were younger than Ellie. But they were tough. They each were the oldest and were used to having two younger siblings to protect.

"There will be no hash settling. No busting of young brattish heads. And no using my spife to split her skull like a corn muffin before using the spoon half to scoop out her buttery smooth brains. How many times do I have to tell you, violence is never the answer." Cat shouted.

I goggled at her for a second before saying, "I not only have never said anything like that part with the skull splitting and the brain scooping; I'm a little scared you went there. But I also was just about to say, I think we did the right thing not telling Dice and Goomer. And I also don't think Tori should come. You and me have powers. Jade has her bride of satan stuff. All Tori has is girly fluff and a superficial resemblance to Shelby Marx, and I don't think either of those is saving anyone."

"Hey!" Tori said. "I don't think anyone is suggesting I go against the demon. I want to help. If you need a diversion or something, I'm in. But I can't even offer to be the getaway driver. Since I have neither a car nor a license and Jade has both."

Jade looked at her like she was a bit fed up and said in an impression of an old time movie actress, "Oh I'm Miss Sweet Sally Peaches, and if I'm not the center of everything that happens, I just know my fans will be ever so disappointed." Her face went straight and she said, " Don't worry, Bubbles, we have this one. You go ahead and stay here where it's safe."

"I don't see why Tori couldn't come. There's not going to be any fighting. We're going to have a dialog. Ellie is just a little girl and I'm sure if we just explain to her that she's being mean and the only way for her to be nice is to stop this demon revenge business and apologize." Cat said, as if that settled everything.

"Revenge?" I asked, "Why would she want revenge on you? If anything, you were too nice to her."

"Not on me. On you. You told her to waz all over Poober. And it was your idea to leave her with that creepy night watchman at the cemetery. One of the first things she had me do with my powers is write a song that gets it through his head that she is not his girlfriend. They both blame you for the whole messl, so they took advantage of my little issue. They figured they got work out of me and made you miserable at the same time. Ellie's plan was to keep using me, making me do more and more as it occured to her. I think she wanted to find a way to use me up. But Poober came with his plan this morning. Every time I close my eyes I still see him. His flat floppy body somehow walking. The little hole where his button eye's missing with a little poison green demon eye looking out through the fabric." Cat shook and made a gagging coughing sound. "Oooh, it's disgusting."

It was another fifteen minutes before we could leave, because Cat had to put on the superhero suit she'd made in Costume Design class. Because of course otherwise Ellie and Poober won't know she 'mean's business'. I didn't know how a pink and black suit with a big C on the chest would make her be taken more seriously, but I was already burning all my energy on how I could neutralize these two permanently while not getting on the wrong side of Cat's 'violence solves nothing' creed.

In the car Jade spoke, "Okay, when we get there, I will fight Poober with magic. Cat you use your hypnosis power to try to get through to Ellie. Sam, you await instructions." Jade said.

"Watch the bossiness." I answered. "I'm only listening because you know how Poober thinks, since your life is pledged to the service of dark spirits."

"No fighting." Cat said. "We're on the same side."

I guess they were waiting for us. As soon as Jade pulled up outside the gate, there was a thud and Ellie landed standing on the hood of Jade's car.

"We've been expecting you." Ellie said. Or I guess Poober said, through Ellie. The creepiest thing is Poober didn't speak with some deep gravel chewing demon voice, like in the movies.

The voice was high and old sounding and reedy, something like a movie witch.

Jade was out of the car before the creature I will call Poolie cause it's easier and sounds funny, was done talking. She raised her hand and said, "Separamous Pretorlum." An arc of yellow green energy bubbled out of Jade's projecting hand, Getting bigger as it approached. It surrounded Poolie and lifted her just a bit off the car before her spell of "Negatorum Encanta" disabled it, the solid looking light going to mist and quickly disappearing.

"Jane Penelope West," Poolie said. "You know better. That level one crap isn't going to touch me."

"Jane?" Cat asked.

"Your friend changed her name when she took up the Craft. To know a being's name gives you power against it. But in her vanity she didn't stray far. She thought Jade so pretty, didn't you Jane? I almost could have guessed it."

"But you didn't need to, did you Solantariel? But I know your name as well. That's how I banished you." Jade snarled.

"For five years, not five generations. Jane. Your power was weak then and it is ever weak to this day." Poolie said.

"I don't know what's happening." Cat whimpered in my ear.

Jade heard her and said, "You know how I said once one of these things gets into your home you belong to it unless you die or it is banished? I said Ellie didn't seem the type to learn to fight it, the third choice. Well, Solantariel was a blue rabbit named NumNum when it came into my house. It's the reason I learned this."

Poolie had foolishly allowed Jade to explain herself. It was certain she couldn't hurt it. Without a pause she went from explaining to Cat, to casting, "Eletara Torolum!" Her hand extending like she offered the demon girl something from her palm.

This time there was no glow, it was more like a distortion. It was like heat off summer asphalt, But these waves lifted Poolie high into the air.

Jade moved her hand a little unsteadily like she was actually bearing the weight of Poolie's body. she gestured quickly with her other hand saying, " Solara Cantara Carnsolantariel." and a ball of light appeared floating quickly away as Poolie fell to the ground.

She was only stunned a second but it was long enough for Jade to say, "Sam follow the light. It will lead you to Poober's toy body. Tear it apart and eat it. If it's gone, and we can force the demon out of Ellie it'll have nowhere to go." Jade took a quick breath. "Cat sing!" She said quickly before turning to Poolie saying, "Solara omnitiphaga." And her casting hand was sheathed in fire. Suddenly everything was happening at once. I heard Cat's humming stop as she broke into song, "Ellie girl please listen, you don't know what you're missin'."

I was suddenly airborn as Poolie, apparently seeing me going after Poober's body as the most dangerous of our three pronged attack, cast "Eletraza Torolum" on me and suddenly my vision was blurred as the waves surrounded me. It felt like gravity had forgotten me, I suddenly felt weightless and was rising quickly.

Jade cast, "Solara Cantara." The fire that had gloved her hand jumped onto Poolie.

"Protetara," Poolie said and a glowing shield blocked the fire, but rather than dissipating when foiled like the other spells. The fire stuck to the shield and continued to burn brightly. The thin trail that connected it to Jade became brighter, almost like a glowing pole that Jade used to push the fire against the shield.

Poolie dropped me to focus on Jade. It was a thirty foot drop, but with my new superhero stamina it didn't faze me and I was on my feet in time to see Poolie cast, "Protecata Encantara." And suddenly the shield of energy about the size of a car door became a bubble of fire that completely covered her.

I hadn't been paying attention to what Cat was singing, but as I ran around the back of the house after the floating light, her line "Poober is controlling you, and that's all he'll ever do. He's not your friend." followed me.

The light ball was hovering over an ivy trellis next to a window.

I figured that must be Ellie's room. I was going to scramble up the trellis, but I was on a clock. So I just jumped up and dived through the window.

The room was fairly large, but neatly kept. I started tearing through anywhere I thought the nefarious toy could be hidden. I was in a hurry and Poolie knew exactly what I was doing, so there was no reason to be subtle.

However after five minutes tearing up her room looking in every likely place, I realized that I had spread debris all over and made it harder to fully check the less likely places.

In a quiet moment as I decided on my next move I heard a sound like a branch cracking.

I got to the window just in time to see Poober burst out from behind the trellis directly under the ball of light.

He fell to the ground, but as a stuffed toy, he took even less notice of it than I had of my fall earlier. I jumped to the yard and gave chase.

It took me a second max to dive on the little freak, Not that that did any good. I can't even put into words how strange it is to be fighting to stop something that is thin floppy fabric to the touch yet is also fiercely moving forward. The closest I can come is it was like having a tug of war with a piece of cloth against someone much stronger than you. Except this wasn't pulling in one direction, it was pulling up, then down, then forward with smooth natural movements. and I wasn't used to having anyone be this much stronger than me, especially lately. I was literally being dragged behind by this walking stuffed animal not much over a foot tall.

When we came around the side of the house, Ellie was on her hands and knees a green-gold shield of energy surrounding her and Jane was closing in throwing handfuls of brighter light against it as she cast and cast.

Cat was singing some 'can't we put this behind us and be friends?' song. It was working some too. As soon as it hit my ears, when I was still too far away to clearly catch the words over the electric buzzing of the two energies clashing, I honestly started to feel like there was still a possibility we could get this all sorted out if we could just sit down and talk about it.

That was before Poober yanked away from me and started running for Ellie. Apparently demons aren't much for kissing and making up.

He'd only made it a few feet when I dived on him again and wrestled him to the ground. It was hard to hold onto him, he was so small, and so very strong. In the end I was pretty much laying on him as he struggled and I watched Jade fight Ellie. Who possibly only knew the shield spell she was casting, or possibly was just unwilling to drop it long enough to launch a counterattack.

Finally Jade tried something else herself. With a cast of "Arctara Elgid Boreala" She threw blue white energy at the shield. Now a cold breeze with the smell of fresh snow suddenly wafted past me blowing away the odor of ozone and woodsmoke that hung over the battlefield already. But more importantly the place where the energy had hit the shield, the shield turned to mist and disappeared, leaving a hole for a second before it flowed back together.

Suddenly I was laying on a lifeless toy as Poolie stuck her hand up pushing up the shield of energy as she stood. Holding one hand over her head, supporting the shield she brought the other around casting. "Protoshella Encantatum." I guess the shield was impenetrable both ways because she dropped it the instant before she cast.

It looked like she threw a handful of cotton at Jade. But the white puffy energy, like fog so thick it was opaque, wrapped around Jade's mouth, gagging her.

Jade grabbed it in both hands and I could see her close her eyes and take a deep breath. Releasing it as a sigh as she mustered her concentration. Her hands where they held the energy like a physical thing began to glow red.

I was already on the move. As soon as she gagged Jade, Poolie screamed, "Will you please shut up!?" And with another, "Protoshella Encantum." She gagged Cat as well.

The front door flew open and Ellie's dad stood there in blue boxers and a white undershirt holding a shotgun. "what the hell is going on here.?" Before he had even finished yelling her had already fired in the air.

Cat screeched behind her magic gag and fainted. Mr. Farber saw the movement and shot toward it.

I don't know if I jumped or ran, all I know is suddenly I was over her, with a shotgun blast ripping my shirt. It wasn't much more than a hot breeze with a bit of stinging grit like sand since my new powers protected me. But now I had a big hole in my shirt.

"Hey!" A freshly ungagged Jade exclaimed in surprise and was rewarded with shot in her direction. There wouldn't have been time for her to cast her shield, but luckily it went wide anyway and she'd cast it before he could take exception to the green glow, in his fragile and addled state, and shoot again.

With me protecting Cat and Jade protecting herself, there was no one to stop Poolie from running across the lawn to pick up Poober's body.

"Elizabeth Rachel Farber, you get in this house!" Mr. Farber yelled, but he recognized his daughter so he didn't fire again.

As soon as Poolie had the momentarily lifeless toy, she cast, "Flotorium Thalation Ariputhrala." Her entire body was bathed in red orange light and wings of flame appeared on her back. The wings beat twice and she was airborne.

Jade made it hard for her, lobbing energy at her, Some struck hard enough to stagger her flight. But in the end Poolie's combined power was greater and they weren't retaliating, only trying to escape. In less than a minute they were out of range.

"Mother Farber!" Mr Farber said using his own name as an expletive. "What was that?"

"Ber Vox Uhtorialum." Jade cast and a handful of mist left her hand and shot into Mr. Farbers mouth, he immediately crumpled to the ground.

As he went down, Cat was coming back up. "Am I dead?" She asked.

I lifted her to her feet, hugging her. "No kid, you're here with me."

"Yay! I love to be with you."

Her fingertips brushed the shotgun blast in my shirt. "What happened?" She asked in her scared quavery voice.

"Just caught the blast when he shot you." I explained, she knew it wasn't a big deal with my powers.

"But you were across the yard when he started shooting." Cat said.

Jane had joined us by then. "Yeah Sam, you weren't even a blur. I didn't know you had super speed."

"Neither did I. I guess Cat needed me. Like those people who lift a car off their family, but I can already lift a car." I reasoned.

"But I wasn't in the car." Cat said.

"I know that." I said.

Just then sirens started in the distance.

"I guess Mrs. Farber called the cops, or a neighbor who heard the gunshots." Jade said. "Both of you get in the car. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Ellie and Poober. But they won't be back for a while and that's enough excitement for a night."

"I call them Poolie when they're in one body like that." I said.

This struck Cat as incredibly funny. She laughed straight for a few minutes, then would say, "Poolie," to herself under her breath and start laughing again through the entire ride home.


End file.
